If Dogs Could Apologize
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Dogs are man’s best friend. But would it kill them to say sorry for some of this stuff?
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How to Memorialize Your Pet & Heal Your Heart After a Loss
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Your pet is a part of your family, and losing a pet can be as devastating as losing a human family member. Once you have recovered from the initial shock of your loss, it is time to plan a funeral or memorial service for your pet. There are several things you can do to memorialize your furry loved one and the joy he or she brought to your life.
Cremation or Burial
The first thing you must decide is whether you will bury or cremate your pet. You may choose to bury them in a favorite spot in the yard or some other place that has special meaning. You may also choose to cremate your pet and keep the ashes in a special place in your home or in a piece of jewelry close to your heart. There are many places around the country that offer pet burial and cremation services. These establishments handle your pet with dignity and provide after-care services and support for you.
After you make this decision, you may wish to create a memorial garden at their grave site or in your yard. You can purchase a pet-specific headstone or memorial stones to immortalize your pet’s earthly journey. A small bench or reflective pool is also a great choice. You can also plant flowers and plants or a small tree to show your love for your pet.
The Memorial Service
A memorial service not only serves as a way to honor your pet’s impact on your life, but it can also provide closure for you and help you heal. You can have a private service with a few close friends or family members, or you can have a larger event and invite those who knew and loved your pet. Many funeral homes will accommodate your needs. There are also pet memorial companies and pet funeral providers who can assist you. They will help you with choices of music and poetry or other readings. You can also have sympathy flowers from FTD at the service to honor your pet.
Keepsakes
Your pet is always in your heart. However, many people like to have tangible reminders of their pet, something they can see and touch. There are numerous things you can do in this arena. A plaster cast of your pet’s paw print or nose print are great ideas. Your veterinarian or pet memorial company can assist you with this task. Another great idea is a locket with clippings of your pet’s fur inside. There is an old poem entitled “Old Dog in a Locket” that will help you with this. A piece of jewelry or painting for your home are also ideas that you can choose.
Losing a pet is difficult and have a lasting impact on your life. The memories never go away, but with time, the pain will subside. Taking the time to honor your pet through a memorial service and other avenues honors their pawprints on your heart, and allows you to heal and remember them with happiness instead of sadness.
Get Out of the House for Some Furry Fun Times
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Does your dog love adventure as much as you do? Do you want to bring your furry friend with you when you hit the open road? Depending on the dog’s size and temperament, you may be able to do just that with a little bit of preparation and the right gear. Motorcycle rides, hiking, camping, and other fun vacation and day trips are more fun and relaxing when you bring your dog along.
Hiking Trips
Take your dog with you when you go hiking and you’ll both get the benefits of physical exercise in the great outdoors. Erica May, outdoor enthusiast and REI contributor, regularly takes her dog Kiwi with her on hiking and backpacking trips. She’s advises to always plan ahead and check dog regulations for the trails and areas you want to explore, because some don’t allow dogs. She suggests being prepared for emergencies, possibly taking a first aid class, to be able to take care of your pet in case of injury while out on a trail. May finds a sturdy, short leash works best to keep good control of Kiwi, which is especially important around other people with dogs. She advises dog owners to be mindful of their dog’s physical condition before going on long trips.
Let’s Go Camping
The CampTrip Team says it’s important to prepare a dog camping checklist when you want to take your dog camping with you. She advises bringing the dog’s dog license ID and rabies tags, leash and collar, and a 20 foot lead and stake to hold it. Also bring a dog carrier, crate, or harness and hand wipes, paper towels, and air fresheners for unexpected accidents in the car, as well as poop bags to clean up after your dog wherever you go. Camping dog owners should bring a first aid kit, especially for the dog, that includes things like rubbing alcohol, gauze, vet wrap that sticks without pulling out hair, tick release and tick tweezers, styptic powder to stop bleeding, an extra sock to put over a paw if injured, and first aid gel for pets. She advises making sure the campgrounds are pet friendly and bringing your pet’s dog bed with for something familiar.
Motorcycle Trips with Fido
How can both you and your dog stay safe while on a motorcycle/dirt bike? The right gear from places like Bike Bandit comes in handy when you need gloves, helmet, or tie-downs. Wes Siler of Indefinitely Wild says that bigger dogs require a sidecar for motorcycle trips, but that there are still safety considerations to be taken seriously. He says riding on the open road is more stressful and risky than car rides for dogs, and they need safe restraints for sidecar rides. He uses a harness clipped securely inside the sidecar, but not with the collar, to avoid transferring any traveling forces from braking or stopping to the dog’s neck. He advises motorcycling dog owners to take care to condition their dogs to the new experience of riding with them with short slow trips near home before going out on longer trips.
Is It OK for My Pets to Eat Pests?
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As most dog owners know quite well, pooches of all shapes and sizes seem to have a natural affinity for anything in the yard with six or eight legs. While watching a young pup happily hopping around trying to catch a fly provides us some entertainment, we might wonder if eating said fly is a problem for our beloved four-legged friend.
While an occasional fly is probably not harmful, the following bugs and arachnids should not be considered as safe snack foods for dogs:
Cockroaches
Dogs seem to love crunching—yuck—on big insects like cockroaches, Dogcare notes. While these insects might not be poisonous on their own, their bodies may contain traces of bug poison. For example, if the roach has recently visited a bait station, its body might contain poison that could be harmful for your pet. Even if you don’t use this type of product, your neighbors might—and their toxic roaches might end up in your yard.
In addition, these insects have very hard exoskeletons that can get stuck in your dog’s throat or irritate its gastrointestinal tract. To prevent cockroaches from making themselves at home, Waltham Services suggests keeping your home as clean and free of food debris as possible and sealing up cracks near and around the sinks and light fixtures.
June Bugs
Also known as May beetles or June beetles, these brownish insects are a favorite snack of many dogs. While June bugs are not inherently toxic, pooches who eat too many of them will probably get an upset stomach, and then vomit or have diarrhea, states Pawnation.
Like cockroaches, June bugs can be contaminated with poisons like DDT and Lindane. To prevent your dog from getting ahold of these flying insects, keep a sharp eye out when you are outside on summer evenings, and try to keep your pooch away from lights where June bugs love to hang out.
Bees
Dogs who think they are chasing a fly only to chomp down on an angry bee often learn the hard way that these yellow and black flying insects should be left alone. As Bulldogs World notes, bee stings can be very painful for dogs. If your dog is stung, carefully remove the stinger from his or her mouth or snout. Instead of using tweezers, which can push more venom into the skin, try to quickly scrape it off with a credit card. Once the stinger is out, soothe the area by wiping it down with water mixed with a little baking soda.
If the snout or nose starts to swell up, apply an ice pack for five minutes. While many dogs endure painful bee stings with no lasting effects, keep a close eye on your pooch, and give your vet a call right away if he or she has any trouble breathing or seems to be in a lot of pain.
Moths
Like flies and bees, moths can be a lot of fun for dogs to chase and catch. Some moths naturally contain awful-tasting compounds that discourage animals from eating anything that resembles them, explains Tend Life. However, these noxious substances are probably not enough to get a dog sick. In the case of smaller dogs, it’s probably best to discourage them from eating moths because the wings might get stuck in their throat.
How to Pet Proof Your Home
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We all love the furry additions to our family, but sometimes they can be a real pain. Between fur on the rugs, scratch marks on the new upholstery and cushions that smell like pee, decorating your home can be a challenge. Below are a few tips to keep your furniture and household accents pet-proof so you can enjoy your furry friends.
Section Off the House
If you don’t want a pet in a room at all, use a pet or baby gate, closed door or latch to prevent them from entering. This will not only keep your pets from ruining furniture in a specific room, but could prevent accidental injury from falling off beds, sofas or other high furniture. Establish boundaries early so that you can have an obedient and well-trained furry pal for life!
Create Their Own Space
Want to know why your pets want to get on the furniture? It’s so darn comfortable! Consider purchasing a spray repellent to deter dogs and cats from jumping on the couch or a Sofa ScramTM Sonic Mat, which is a pad with a noisy alarm that trains your pet to stay off. If you want a homemade solution, cats and dogs are reported to hate the sound of a can filled with coins, so you can easily make your own homemade noise maker. You also can leave it sitting on the furniture as a reminder when you’re not home.
Then, entice your pet with some furniture of their own. Create a little sanctuary that’s comfy, safe and cozy with a nice bed, blanket and some of their toys.
Prevent Spraying
Perhaps your cat or dog has started spraying or marking their territory on the legs of your couch or drapes. Not a habit that you want them to continually repeat, right? First, ensure that they feel safe so they don’t feel the need to mark their territory, especially if strange people or other pets are around. If that does not work, make sure the litter box is clean, but not too clean. Use a cat-friendly disinfectant so they feel comfortable and avoid disinfectants that contain phenols, which are toxic to cats, explains Blue Cross for Pets.
The best way to break that habit once it has occurred is to keep the animal away from the area for as long as possible while you remove any residual smell. Consider replacing long drapes at places like The Shade Store that can customize shorter, more pet-friendly options. Also, placing dry food in the same area can prevent your pet from using it again for that purpose.
Replace Damaged Goods
If you’ve read this article too late, it might be time to part with that beloved armchair or rug due to soiling or scratches. Invest in pet-friendly options and train your pets on how to behave around the new items.
For pieces that don’t smell, sell them at a yard sale or take it to your favorite charity or local Goodwill. Other options to consider are shelters, refugee centers and furniture banks. If you plan to claim a donation, first check the IRS database of qualified charitable organizations and Goodwill’s valuation guide.
How to Tell If Your Dog Is Having a Heat Stroke (Infographic)
Comments Off on How to Tell If Your Dog Is Having a Heat Stroke (Infographic)Heat stroke is a very serious and deadly condition. When you first think of heat strokes in dogs you think of dogs left in a hot car, but that’s not where most happen. Ensure your dog has adequate shade and water to cool of with in these hot summer days!
Thanks to Pets Best for having this great educational infographic to show how to detect heat strokes in dogs.
